I had a hard time packing my bike into the box that I have borrowed from Bill. It just confirms that I am not mechanically inclined. I even broke my bike assembly tool; the one that holds all the wrenches in various sizes. So now that the bike is nicely packed (and I use the […]
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Cool Runnings at SCC
It is no secret that I have struggled on my runs for more than a month. Today, I had my best run in over two months. I ran at Scottsdale Community College this evening in perfectly cool weather and averaged just a bit more than 8 minutes per mile. I wore my race-ready Saucony Fastwitch […]
Marathon Pace to qualify for Boston
I need to run the Phoenix Marathon in 3:30 or less to qualify for Boston. This translates to an 8-minute-per-mile pace. The race starts in Mesa at an elevation of 2,050 feet and ends at an elevation of 1,200 feet for a net elevation drop of about 850 feet. This translates to an average of […]
Travel back home
I don’t have much to write about today because most of the day was spent in the air between Florence and Phoenix. I saw two movies; both pretty decent. First I saw this movie shot in my hometown of Ahmedabad called “Kai Po Che” about a few friends who start a cricket coaching academy. The […]
The most amazing food in Florence
It was just a bit warmer today than the past few days. We are back in Florence staying at the not-so-stylish Hilton Garden Inn near the airport. After driving back, we took an easy stroll through Florence before having dinner at Le Botteghe di Donatello where I had the most incredible pasta. It was a […]
Assisi and Orvieto
Tuscany has dozens of villages set atop mountains with their own distinct history. Some were built more than two thousand years ago and subsequent civilizations have added to its history and culture by building structures and churches. All these villages have their own forts and are lined with narrow streets and stone buildings. They are […]
Leuta and the golden ratio
After a hearty breakfast at the villa, we headed out to Leuta, a small and botique vineyard owned by Denis and his wife Maria. His love for wine came through as we talked for about four hours sipping wine and talking about the intricacies of wine-making, politics in Italy and the golden ratio. Leuta Wines […]
A Tuscan run, a visit to Siena & San Gimignano and a blizzard
Today is exactly fifteen days since I last worked out. That was a week before IMAZ. It was cold and slightly breezy this morning. The sun was peeking through the clouds. I felt just good enough to go out for a short and sweet 20 to 30 minute run. I asked the villa owner David […]
A visit to Cortona
We are staying at the Relais La Corte Dei Papi in Pergo just outside of Cortona. It is beautiful here in Tuscany. The vibe is laid back with old stone buildings up every hilltop and greenery nestled between hills and mountains. As you drive in any direction, you randomly come across vineyards and olive groves. Most […]
Six hour journey to and from the North Pole
I’m writing this entry while in the air from Chicago to Frankfurt. The Phoenix-Chicago flight was quite uneventful. Binita sat in first and I was right behind her (thanks to Naman, one of us was upgraded). For this flight, B and I are both sitting in business class. We just ate some lousy airplane food […]